At time of economic pain, veterans win support

According to a recent edition of Hannah News, while many bills remain stagnant due to a sharply divided Ohio General Assembly, one group not being ignore by lawmakers is the state’s veterans:

“In a legislative session where few bills pass and bicameral consensus can be rare, veterans and military initiatives are drawing lots of attention and support from lawmakers of the 128th General Assembly. The passage of several bills aimed at service members' interests continues a special focus begun in the previous Legislature, which enacted Gov. Ted Strickland's proposal to strengthen advocacy for those who served and their families by creating the Department of Veterans Services. The bills have cut through the typical partisan divide, with the measures usually drawing unanimous support in at least one chamber and dissenters numbering a mere handful.” (Hannah News Service, Aug. 2010)

As the report indicates, a number of provisions have passed that are helping out veterans in Ohio, including a constitutional amendment that will bring a major bonus program to veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. OCSEA reported on these bonuses in a recent Union Bulletin Board Network flier.

Watch the rally on Wall St. Today at 4 p.m.

Over 10,000 people will be rallying on Wall St. starting at 4 p.m. today to send a message to Big Banks and Congress: Good Jobs Now! Make Wall Street Pay! Click HERE to watch it live this afternoon.

Republicans have twice voted to oppose a public debate of a Wall St. accountability bill; Yesterday, their filibuster was broken. However, now we need 60 votes to end the debate and get the bill VOTED on. Ralliers will be outside city hall in NYC at 4 p.m. today asking for just that. Marchers will walk past Wall St.'s biggest offenders in the economic crisis that have left 11 million Americans jobless.

Remember to be thankful for your job and do what you can to support the Wall St. accountability bill. Take action now by clicking HERE.

Does your job pass the "Yellow Pages Test?"

Does your job pass the "Yellow Pages Test?" New Jersey's new Governor is IDing state jobs that can be privatized by asking whether or not the service can be found in the Yellow Pages. The first thing NJ Gov. Chris Christie did after taking office was to establish a "privatization panel" that will root out the state work he can give to private contractors. Could it happen here in Ohio? You bet it could!! Go here to learn more about what we're up against in Ohio.